


Fellblood

by IChallengeMyFate (Ealdremen)



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:52:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3345932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealdremen/pseuds/IChallengeMyFate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Burdened with the knowledge of Robin’s heritage, Tiki tries to console her daughter Morgan while also coming to terms with the truth herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fellblood

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on ichallengemyfate.tumblr.com.

For the past twenty minutes that Morgan had been sitting beside her, she hadn’t said a word, and Tiki grew more worried with each moment of tense silence.

Tiki knew why Morgan was so lethargic, of course. The moment she had seen her daughter trudge along like her feet were made of stone, her listless, distant stare fixated on Origin Peak, Tiki had immediately understood the problem. There was only one thing on Morgan’s mind: Grima.

Morgan fidgeted with her dark gloves and the hem of her cloak. Every so often, she drew her hands along the thin cover of loose soil and gathered it into her hands. Each time she did, she spread her fingers and watched the dark soil slip through them. As the last of the soil trickled away, Morgan sighed and plucked a stick off the ground. She turned it over in her hands, but her gaze wandered back to the smoldering silhouette of Origin Peak before long.

Tiki pursed her lips, at a loss. What she would have given to spare Morgan the agony of wondering what would become of Robin if they fought against Grima and what it meant for her to be a descendant of both Grima _and_ Naga. It had been difficult enough for Tiki, but she could only imagine how much of a burden it was for Morgan.

“Morgan?”

Maybe all she could do was distract her from the situation at hand.

“Morgan,” Tiki repeated more insistently, “how much do you know about my people? The manaketes?”

Morgan lifted her head slowly. “Well, um… They don’t really die from natural causes like humans do, but on the other hand, it’s rare for them to have children. And there aren’t very many of them because of that.”

Her voice grew a bit stronger as she spoke, perhaps out of pride for knowing a bit about her manakete heritage. Morgan sat up straighter and looked to Tiki expectantly, clearly waiting for Tiki to continue.

Tiki smiled slightly, nodding a little in approval. “That may be true now, but it wasn’t always that way.”

“Really?” Morgan edged closer. The childish glint in her eyes seemed to have returned, and, thankfully, she was looking to Tiki instead of that dreadful mountain in the distance.

Tiki held out her hand; Morgan, after a brief moment of confusion, seemed to understand, and passed the stick to her. Tiki started to draw in the soil near them. Even if it was a story that Tiki knew well, it was one far from Morgan’s time and experience. Simple drawings would go a long way in making sure she understood. She drew several crude figures depicting dragons, each of them underneath a different symbol for the elements. Morgan watched her every movement, her eyes following the stick with rapt attention.

Clearing her throat, Tiki began. “This was long ago, so forgive me if my memory is hazy… but in the beginning, the world was comprised solely of manaketes – of dragons. They were organized into many tribes under the banner of one great empire. However…”

Tiki carved into the soil several human-like figures, all of them wielding swords and lances. Morgan gulped, apparently anticipating what was coming next.

“…In time, mankind grew more powerful, and the dragons’ dominance over the land was challenged. The Earth Dragons in particular desired for humans to be destroyed so that manaketes could maintain supremacy, but the Divine Dragons – that is, the tribe I come from – sought to save humanity, and a great war erupted.”

She drew a circle around the Earth Dragons and traced a jagged line towards the Divine Dragons and the humans. The crooked line cut through many Divine and Earth Dragons alike, as well as numerous humans. Morgan stared, wide-eyed and jaw slightly agape at what she was hearing. Tiki drew several more savage-looking dragons, a large stone in their midst, and pointed to this group with the stick.

“Eventually, the Divine Dragons won the war, and the Earth Dragons were subdued. During this time, all manaketes started to turn to nothing more than savage beasts, driven mad by their own might. To survive, they had to seal their power away in dragonstones – the very same dragonstones you and I own. The Earth Dragons, save for their prince, did not obey this commandment, and they eventually lost their minds and were sealed away themselves to protect the world.”

Tiki cut a line through each and every Earth Dragon, leaving only a few dragons of other groups uncrossed out.

“And thus, manaketes grew progressively scarcer and scarcer with each generation. Mankind remembered the horrors of the Earth Dragons and would never again allow any dragon tribe to grow in power. The manaketes who remained went into hiding, but never again could we reclaim the glory of our past,” Tiki concluded, laying down the stick.

“I had no idea,” Morgan murmured in awe and confusion. She glanced at Tiki’s long, pointed ears, then ran her fingers along her own round ones. “So… what does that make me? I mean, you’re a Divine Dragon, but if Father is… Wouldn’t I also be..?”

She trailed off and glanced past Tiki at the fiery volcano where Grima surely awaited. A word came to mind that would finish Morgan’s sentence, but Tiki dared not voice it aloud. Yet it marched around in her mind, hanging over her like the dark clouds of ash surrounding Origin Peak. Fellblood.

Tiki shook her head. There had to be more to it than that. Though Robin bore the Grima’s mark and undoubtedly held the Fell Dragon’s power, he wasn’t _just_ Grima’s vessel. There was something else there that both he and Morgan had, some sort of tenacious light fighting back against the cursed blood in their veins.

But would Morgan care for sentimentality such as that? Though she was optimistic and innocent, she had her father’s sharp mind. There was no doubt in Tiki’s mind that Morgan would see through any transparent attempts to cheer her up.

“Mother, what _is_ Grima?” Morgan asked, her voice barely above a murmur. “Was he a manakete?”

There were plenty of things Grima was. A nightmare. A monster. He was the closest thing the world had ever seen to a god of death. The other children, haunted by the terrors of their pasts, were a living testament to his lust for the destruction of mankind.

But if Robin was more than just Grima’s vessel, then maybe there was more to Grima himself. It was a prospect riddled with hesitation, but perhaps it was a better answer than repeating what they had already heard and knew of Grima. Tiki drummed her fingers on the ground.

“I believe Grima may be… connected to the Earth Dragons in some way,” said Tiki. “No other tribe desired the eradication of humans as they did, and they were among the strongest of the tribes, second only to the Divine Dragons. And Grima’s monstrous appearance… it reminds me of what some of the Earth Dragons became once they fell too far from their original heritage. But, Morgan…”

Morgan’s eyes were starting to water. Tiki sighed and gently wiped the tears from her daughter’s face.

“Once, I thought the Earth Dragons were irredeemable monsters… But while I think back, I realize that they weren’t evil – before their fall, that is. They were once great and proud. They just couldn’t let go of the past and suffered for it. If I’m correct, and Grima truly is the last of the Earth Dragons, or at least is related to them, then perhaps you could represent a final chapter in the tale I just told you… one where a manakete is born with both the blood of the Divine and the Earth Dragons. You could reclaim their lost glory.”

Morgan’s eyes seemed to light up. Glancing from the drawings and back to Tiki, she asked, “You really think so, Mother?”

Tiki nodded and smiled. Morgan returned the grin, and Tiki felt a sense of relief wash over her. When Morgan threw her arms around her mother, she nearly bowled her over, but didn’t seem to notice. She held her so tightly Tiki could feel the breath being squeezed out of her.

“You really know a lot of things, Mother! I guess that’s part of being thousands of years old, huh? You always had the best stories to tell.” Morgan giggled, then gasped. “Wait, I…”

She furrowed her brow and shut her eyes tight in concentration; Tiki dared not say anything for fear of breaking her trance. Morgan’s eyes snapped open, and she grabbed Tiki by the shoulders. Tiki would have jolted back in alarm had Morgan’s grip not been so firm.

“Morgan, are you–?”

The words spilled out of Morgan’s mouth in a hasty jumble. “I remembered something! You always used to tell me stories like this! I need to go tell Father! He’ll be thrilled! Wait here, okay?”

Morgan leaped to her feet. She flashed Tiki the broadest of smiles and spun around on her heel to scurry away. As Morgan darted off, Tiki glanced back. In the distance, she could see the smoking pinnacle of Origin Peak. Her smile fell from her face. The dragonstone in her satchel felt heavier than usual as she turned her gaze from the smoldering mountain to the crossed out drawings of the Earth Dragons at her feet.

“My daughter… I pray for your sake that, if my idle speculation is correct, the Earth Dragon blood in you will not drive you mad.”


End file.
